Aveline Dawnguard
by SniperCT
Summary: A trio of stories about an Ascended paladin.
1. Ascension

Aveline's fingers dug into the mire, the stench of blood and burning flesh filling her nostrils. An arrow stuck out of her shoulder, her life's blood pouring out of a dozen deep gashes. Through watery eyes she watched as a horde of the dead bore down on her comrades. She grasped her sword, held by her father and his mother and her mother before her.

She hefted her shield and let her sheer force of will propelled her forward. Her shield crushed one foul monster's skull, her sword deflecting an attack. Pain fueled her. Though she knew she was dying, every second was that much closer to victory, if they could only hold out long enough.

Red hair flashed at the corner of her vision but she couldn't hazard even a second's glance. Ducking beneath the clumsy swing of a skeletal behemoth, she thrust upward, and twisted, dancing out of the way as the creature collapsed besides her.

Her pulse rushed in her ears as the battle waged desperately around her. To her left, the red-haired twins that had so often vexed her patience were succumbing to the onslaught. There was little time to rush in and save the women as one thumbed a detonator, waiting until the horde crushed on top of them. The shockwave hit Aveline, knocking the wind from her.

Her last reserve of strength gone, she sunk to her knees knowing her death would not be so quick. The world was spinning and her vision was swimming. Sounds of battle and the deep blast of horns became distant as though through a tunnel. Aveline struggled to remember the face of her husband.

Through the battles and the blood she'd held onto his face and her promise to him to return once she'd fulfilled her family's duty. It was a promise she wasn't going to be able to keep but the sacrifice was worth it so long as her husband and her country endured.

Aveline could hear nothing now, and the pain had faded to naught but a memory. White light enveloped her, and she could hear a voice calling...


	2. Battle

_Dawn's eyes pleaded with Caran, her hand tugging at his. The words came like gravel through the tightness in his throat, 'I love you.' Silver flashed with a splatter of red._

The sun hadn't yet crept up over the mountains and Aveline was already awake staring at the water of a pond. She'd found it increasingly difficult to sleep, her dreams haunted by memories and desires that weren't entirely her own. Their camp was relatively safe, but an excuse to get up and keep watch rather than return to her dreams was welcome.

Nothing else seemed to stir about, the air chilled against her skin but doing nothing to cool the flush that had spread across it in her sleep. Aveline's eyes found the still form of her traveling companion and friend. A rabbit had somehow found it's way into their camp and was curled up against Dawn's back, forcing a frustrated sigh from the warrior as she knew yet another cute animal would be added to the Cleric's growing collection.

Though she had sworn to protect Dawn at all costs, there were times she felt more the wolf than the sheep-dog. She pulled her knees up against her chest and rested her chin on them, watching the High Elf sleep. It often proved hard to put into words why she was so dead set on Dawn's safety. The woman's ability to bring a smile in even the worst possible situations was important to Aveline. They would not be fighting forever, and after the planes were pushed back and the ward sealed again, the populace would need people like Dawn.

Perhaps there was some amount of envy. While Aveline had always had a certain aptitude for combat it had never been her desire or her goal to pursue it. Her friend could perform amazing feats without losing herself but Aveline felt like she lost a bit of herself with every battle.

Pulling herself to her feet, she undid the tie holding her hair back and silently slipped out of her under tunic and pants. She paused to wipe at her eyes, feeling her chest tighten. The memories made little sense, but she'd pieced what she could together.

_Sweat glistened on pale skin. His hand trailed down her throat, stroking lovingly._

"Now you're just..messing with me." She was talking to herself. That was crazy, but the warrior's personality was so strong that some part of him remained, separate from her. It granted her strength when she needed it. He'd protected Dawn in his life, so perhaps the Vigil had seen fit to add his strength to hers for just that purpose. He was, however, a horse's arse. Aveline found herself lost in a memory that wasn't hers.

She shook herself out of it. The water would be cold, but she felt suddenly very dirty and warm, and they were a long way from any place where she could indulge in her guilty pleasure of a warm bath with bubbles and wine. Her husband used to prepare one for her as a surprise. She could be covered in horse manure and he'd still call her a lady.

The water was colder than she expected. Taking a breath she submerged herself, skin prickling as the cold water stung at her like needles. It was scarcely the relaxing dip she'd been hoping for but it did serve it's primary purpose of cooling her skin off. She could almost hear Brenna, her sister-in-law, mockingly telling her she'd told her so.

Guilt brought her to the surface, as well as a thought that wasn't even hers nagging at the back of her mind. She could see three figures moving towards the camp, the stench of machine-corrupted sourcestone wafting to her nostrils. Sinking back below the water, Aveline pulled herself along the bottom. She could feel the power welling up inside of her, but it wasn't his strength she needed - she had that in spades.

The paladin drew on the warrior's mind. Every detail of the camp stood out in her memory. Where Dawn lay, the location of individual trees and the rocks, where the horses grazed, and where the figures were. Slinking out of the water, she found a fallen branch. Golden light enveloped her as she propelled forward. The Kelari man saw the flash of golden wings illuminating tanned flesh before the branch crushed his nose and sent him staggering back and tripping over a boulder.

Aveline swung out with one leg, connecting with the throat of an Eth woman as she spun her branch around, throwing it at the third figure, a Bahmi. Her hand clasped around her sword as she danced away from the campfire, taking up her shield in the same smooth motion. She stood in a ready stance, feet spread apart and knees bent. Water glistened on her skin and her hair clung to her head and shoulders.

Time moved to the beat of her heart. One beat, and the Defiant woman hit the ground, hand on her throat. Two beats, and the Bahmi brushed the branch aside, a flash of respect in his eyes. On the third and fourth beats, Aveline feinted with her sword, only to smash her shield into the Bahmi's jaw. His fist slammed into her chest on the sixth beat, staggering her back. She barely brought her shield up in time to deflect his axe. She found herself on the defensive, pounded back step by excrutiating step.

_Fire_. Aveline dodged to the side, tossing up embers from the campfire with her sword. The act blinded the Bahmi, and she charged in, slashing slow and finishing with an uppercut with her shield. The ground shuddered as he landed on his back. A crackling sound accompanied a flash of light behind her. Aveline whirled, only to see the Eth slide to her knees and slump over. To her left, Dawn was standing, light fading from around her hands.

Rushing over, the High elf checked her friend over for injury, blushing furiously, "You're naked! Why are you fighting naked?!"

"I thought you'd sleep through the whole thing," Aveline replied, the cocky grin on her face reminiscent of someone else.

Dawn stammered for a moment, before retorting, "Who could sleep through all that clanging! It scared away the bunny!"

Aveline's smile softened, and she pulled Dawn into a hug. If the Cleric could somehow blush even more fiercely, she would. "J-just get dressed. I'm not..I can't heal you if they split you in two!"

Brushing off Dawn's comments, Aveline gathered her clothing and armor, "I'm still in one piece, thanks to you."

Dawn caught herself watching Aveline bend over, and smacked a hand over her face, squeezing her eyes shut. It wasn't much better. She could still see Caran's smile on Aveline's face. It made her feel conflicted. Worse, it made her remember. Casually tossing a blast of light at the Kelari as he started to recover, she affected a cheery smile and walked over to help Aveline pick up camp.


	3. Memories

Planar energy crackled amidst a grey fog as Aveline crept quietly through the remains of a small village. Memories nagged at her everywhere she looked and try as she might she could not ignore them. The tavern where her friends and family would gather for many a night of rowdy drinking was nothing but ash and shattered foundations. She'd grown up in the smithy across the way, learning to turn raw ore into things of beauty and function but the great billows were silent, the structure's frame still barely standing.

She remembered walking down from the smithy to the tavern a few weeks before her handfasting. Her betrothed, Gramsael, and his sisters. Aveline's own sisters and brother, and the tavernkeep's children. A whole rowdy group of fourteen from children to young adults celebrating the end of another week of satisfying work. She'd hung back a ways, watching them carry on like a herd of wild horses.

Now, the road they'd traveled so many times was gone, the stones and dirt turned over and muddy. She followed it past the tavern, a chill running down her spine as she remembered the laughter and song that would pour out from within. How many had died here when Aedraxis fractured the wards? She'd never had time to really think about it before her own death, nor had time to really process it all in the time since.

Her feet carried her down a familiar path to a familiar home. There was nothing left of the stables, and the farmhouse was half-collapsed. She could see rusted horse shoes and the skull of one of the mares that had been left behind when the army came through. They'd taken every horse they could, leaving barely enough for breeding. They'd donated the steeds willingly, and Gramsael had remained behind to rebuild while she and his sister Brenna joined the army.

The wood creaked beneath Aveline's boots, threatening to crumble and give way but she ignored that. She viewed the farmhouse as it is and as it was, the present and the past superimposed over one another in her mind. She walked past where her grandmother's painting had hung on the wall over the weapon rack that had held her family sword. Both were gone now, looted, or perhaps taken when her family had fled.

She still held out hope it was the latter, as she walked into what had been one of the sleeping rooms. It had been small and cramped, and the wreckage made the room more claustrophobic. Something caught her eye and she knelt amidst the rotten wood, pushing aside debris to reveal what was buried. Her heart seized in her chest as she carefully lifted a ragged horse doll, miraculously preserved despite the horrors that had ravaged the village.

"Aveline?"

The lyrical voice of her companion called to her from outside, and she tucked the doll into her armor before standing and making her way back outside. Giving the High Elf a tight smile, she shook her head, "I didn't find anything, Dawn. I don't even know if they got out of here alive."

Dawn's usually bright expression darkened a bit as she suspected Aveline wasn't telling her the full story. While she was usually naive, easily distracted and always the optimist, much of it was an act to bolster others as anything else. Her dear friend looked in desperate need of bolstering. Deciding to worry about it later, the elf put a hand on Aveline's arm and almost drank in the way the other woman seemed to relax.

The truth was that Dawn possessed the remarkable capacity to simultaneously irritate Aveline with her naivete and yet cause her heart quicken and her skin to warm. Dawn's attempt to bolster seemed to work, and the elf said cheerily, "Lets not give up hope. Have faith in the Vigil to watch over them."

"If you believe so."

With a smile that could illuminate the darkest cavern, Dawn nodded her head, "Of course I do!"

Aveline could feel the doll in her armor, heavy against her heart. She nodded, letting the other woman's presence cheer her up before swinging back up onto her horse, "We ought to get back to doing the Vigil's duty, anyhow."

Nodding her head, Dawn mounted her own steed, trotting after her friend and protector and trying to ignore the worries and fears that always seemed to swirl in her heart. She could ask about the house later. For now, for Aveline's sake, she needed to be a beacon of light and good will.


End file.
